Has a CM ever forgot to charge you for an item & did you say anything about it?

[rhiansmom]

It was our last day at WDW and DD wanted to go back and see the Share a Dream Come True Parade, we had just enough time to do that and then get back to the hotel to meet our driver. However once there she wanted a tinkerbell balloon.. (you know one of those HUGE ones that cost a fortune?) we asked the CM if they had one that wasn't blown up and she said they couldn't sell them that way but proceeded to tell us how we could remove the air with a drinking straw. All the time she was explaining the process she was selling balloons. Well we got our balloon and left and went back to the hotel and couldn't get the air out as fast as we needed it to go and were in a hurry to catch the driver.

Once at the airport I handed a $10 bill to my mom and said thanks for getting the balloon and she said she thought I had paid for it. Turns out neither of us paid. I felt bad but couldn't do anything else at the time since we were leaving.

 

[traviesojmt]

I believe in getting what I pay for and paying what I get. I almost always check the receipt when we go to a restaurant. I have had a few times when the waitress has forgotten to put the dessert on the ticket. I always let them know. On the occasions that they tell me not to worry about, I usually end up tipping more to cover.
OT- We had bought a computer with separate monitor from Best Buy online. Once we received it, the monitor was not what we ordered. So, they told us to send it back and they would send us the right one. Well, they refunded the monitor and never charged us again. My DH called and spent 30 minutes on the phone trying to explain that they had refunded the monitor but we still owed them for it. They kept saying that they always refund when they make an error. After 30 min., my DH still couldn't convince them that we owed them money. I'm sure that they thought we were crazy, but we didn't want to cheat anyone. They refused to charge us though.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Once when I was little, I received an extra $10 in change. I walked 10 blocks back to the store and returned it. They looked at me like I had 14 heads with lobsters crawling out of the ears and the teenage cashier had no idea what to do with it. I felt so silly.

On my 21st birthday, I ordered a fiesta margarita in Epcot. I showed ID and she CM said Happy Birthday. I took out money to pay but she told me I paid already. I said "No, I didn't" She said "Yes, you did. Have a good day". And I did. (That was my only free item from Disney, ever!)

 

[klj27]

Hmmm... here's a little bit of honesty/dishonesty. This week at Meijer I had an Rx filled. I picked it up at the pharmacy and they gave me my $10 coupon for transferring a Rx. I took the Rx to the checkout line to pay for it along with my groceries. I knew that my total seemed low and asked her if she scanned the Rx. There was some sort of a problem with the way it was rung in at the pharmacy and it wouldn't scan. She went ahead and entered the price manually. I paid for my groceries using my $10 coupon and credit. When she handed me my receipt another $10 Rx coupon had printed out.

So, I did make sure I paid the $25 for the Rx, but I also kept the $10 coupon.

 

[medicgirl_911]

Well, just operating under the concept that honesty is good, I am known to check my receipt after most any purchase, to look for overpayment or underpayment. At that point, if the CM says, "Don't worry about it," I feel that I've been faithful to do what I was supposed to do.

The wildest thing along these lines happened close to 20 years ago. I took a youth group from the church I was serving to WDW, and our rooms and park passes were master billed to the church, which I paid while on property. A couple of weeks after we returned home, I got a check from Disney stating "overpayment - refund due," and it was for the full amount of the trip. It amounted to thousands of dollars. I immediately called Disney, and talked to four different CMs, trying to kick it upstairs far enough to get some resolution. The last person I talked to simply said, "Our records show that you paid for your trip twice - and if it ultimately turns out to be our error, it won't be of any concern to you. God bless."

Years later, I still scratch my head over that one.

WOW! What a blessing!

Unfortunately, I am really bad at looking at reciepts I never pay attention or re-look at it!!!! I figure I have probably been overcharged and undercharged enough to even out! (actually I probably have a karma bank going with as much stuff that seems to get left off our order at McDonalds that I dont find til we are 5 miles away) I should start paying more attention because if I did realize that I hadn't been charged for something I would bring it to their attention. And now that I am thinking about it maybe I am just bad with money period, I dont even keep my checkbook balanced, I just call every few days to see how much is in there

 

[KimberlyC]

Interesting - nine posts so far. Of the nine, 2/3 tried to correct the situation; one poster didn't but didn't realize there was an error until much later; one poster didn't attempt to correct the error but with, technically, the approval of a Cast Member not connected with the original sale or shop in any way; and one person is erroneously attempting to rationalize the decision not to TRY to correct the situation (despite realzing it only minutes after the occurrence). Among the rationalizations is "Why should I want to pay extra for something...?" Extra? Nope. Paying for EACH item purchased is not anything like paying extra. As is apparent from the responses, notifying the (ANY) merchant of an error and letting the MERCHANT choose not to charge for something is entirely different from deciding on one's own that this is the action the merchant would take.
I'm curious - if the situation were reversed, is there anybody here who wouldn't bring the situation to the CM/clerk's attention?

To answer your question, if I was the guy who got all the way back to his hotel (or wherever) before noticing, I wouldn't waste my time to go all the way back just for a couple of bucks. But in the same vain, I was overcharged $3 at Meijer not too long ago because the cashier did not ring up my instant coupons and I didn't go all the way back to collect my $3. Normally I wouldn't have noticed because I don't pay close attention (unless I'm at a clothing store and there is a sale and I want to make sure that the item rings up on sale) but I noticed because the cashier put my instant coupons in the bag. Had she used them, she would have/should have kept them.

Some people may disagree but I think if you are not attempting to scam or break rules but through no fault of your own a mistake is made in your favor, you're not a horrible dishonest person for not taking the time to go all the way back and correct the mistake.

 

[frannn]

I recieved two reimbursement checks from State Farm after an accident. I had already cashed the first, so I called and told them that they sent me a few thousand in error. They didn't know what I was talking about, so I just filed the check and never cashed it. I came upon a post (here, I think) years later, where people were talking about how State Farm sent them extra $ as well....
I was cashing checks at the bank. The teller gave me extra $. I kept telling him he was giving me too much (I think it was like 90 extra), but he kept telling me I was wrong, and this is the amt I should be getting. After too much time spent trying to set him straight, I left the bank and figured I'd call someone else there later. Well, wouldn't you know they took the extra money he gave me out of my account. They fixed his error themselves.
With DS.com, I ordered the HM lamp. The one I got was damaged, so they sent me a new one. I never got the call tag for the new one, nor was DH's card charged for the second lamp (at least I don't think so). I called them to let them know I never got the call tag, and needed to return their lamp. The tag came in the mail that week.

 

[kaytieeldr]

All of you taxpayers are gonna love this ...
One year, I got two tax refunds. I kept trying to send the second one back, but it kept coming back to me. I finally tore it up and sent it through my shredder. Ever since then, I've had a yearly fear of being audited.

How long ago? Six, seven and eight years after that year, I'd suggest you check your state's Unclaimed Funds list (comes out twice a year in Massachusetts, other states are probably similar) to see if they're STILL trying to pay you! Doesn't matter if it's a state refund or a federal refund, the money would be sent to your state's appropriate department. If it's been more than eight - maybe ten, to be safe - years, I think you can relax about the audit

No, at 1am I would not walk back down to the food court to pay for a $3.00 sandwich. Especially at Disney, they wan't you to have a magical time, not deal with problems that are not your fault. Even if you had gone back I am sure they would have said "don't worry about it."

I wouldn't walk back to. say, the POR food court that late at night to try to correct the situation (but down several floors in my deluxe hotel, sure), but I would go back the next day and let the MERCHANT determine if they're going to tell me "don't worry about it".

Once when I was little, I received an extra $10 in change. I walked 10 blocks back to the store and returned it. They looked at me like I had 14 heads with lobsters crawling out of the ears and the teenage cashier had no idea what to do with it. I felt so silly.

That's too bad, because there are only two - very simple - options. If you were undercharged, the solution is to rering the sale (yes, even after you left and came back). If you were charged correctly but just plain got too much change (I can't believe a cashier wouldn't be able to figure this one on his/her own), the VERY simple resolution is for the cashier to place the money you brought returned, back into the cash register. Voila!

But in the same vain, I was overcharged $3 at Meijer not too long ago because the cashier did not ring up my instant coupons and I didn't go all the way back to collect my $3. Normally I wouldn't have noticed because I don't pay close attention (unless I'm at a clothing store and there is a sale and I want to make sure that the item rings up on sale) but I noticed because the cashier put my instant coupons in the bag. Had she used them, she would have/should have kept them.

Ah, but you weren't overcharged. Yes, you paid more than you had expected/intended in THAT transaction - but you were given the coupons back, which means you can use them at a future time. Whether you choose to purchase the qualifying products again before the coupons expire is up to you, but you weren't overcharged.

 

[tink too]

We bought breakfast items at a CS one morning in MK - DD picked fruit, DH ordered pastries and I had cereal. Right on the top of all the food was a large choc chip cookie (for DD to snack on later in the day) the CM moved the cookie to check my tray for other items. When we got back to the hotel that evening, I emptied out all the receipts from my wallet. I noticed that the cookie was not charged on the breakfast receipt. Now was this an honest mistake by the cashier or a "freebie?" I don't know, but I certainly wasn't going to go back in a few days time to pay for a $2 cookie!

On the other hand, on a very hot day on a separate vacation, I purchased 2 bottles of water and a bottle of cola. I knew these bottles were more expensive in the parks and didn't think much about my $10 charge at the time. Once I got back to DH and I checked my receipt, I noticed I'd been charged for 2 bottles eack of water and cola (an extra charge of $2.50). I had a terrible thirst, the heat was unbearable and I couldn't be bothered to stand in a queue to dispute my order just to get $2.50 back! To be honest, I was so hot, I probably would have paid the $10 for ONE bottle of water that day!

I would always point out an error at the cash desk - like getting too much change, etc - even if it was in my favour!

 

[mickeyfan2]

2 Years ago around 12:30 AM I was purchasing two cold Roast Beef sandwiches from the Fun & Food Center. When I got back to my room & looked at my reciept I noticed that the Cast Member only charged me for 1 sandwich & not the 2nd one. Some people told me I should have went down the next morning told them about the mistake. Well I did not for a few reasons. Why should I want to pay extra for something when it was not my fault that a Cast Member made the mistake. I had the sandwich boxes on top of each other, so I don't know how he did not see the 2nd one. 2nd If I did tell a CM the next day 100% chance the same one from the night before would not have been working at the time & I think they would say don't worry about it. Anyway I was wondering has this situation ever happened to you & if so what did you do about it?

If I was in line paying and noticed then yes I would have told them. But once you are back in the room, no.

I actually had a funny thing happen wrt this question. DH and I bought a lot of things at Mouse Gear in Epcot. The person ringing us out was being trained. I had bought a small bag that I would see if it was big enough when it got delivered and if not I was going to return it to the hotel gift shop. We had it sent back to the room. When it arrived the next day I found out it was too small so I took it and the receipt to the gift shop. It was then that she told me I had the wrong receipt and I could not return it. DH and I told her we did buy it there and it just arrived at our room. She said no. We said we wanted to return it and did not pay for it when we thought we did, so we would just leave it there. She would not hear of it and said to come back when we found the receipt. Since we had no receipt we ended up keeping the bag and gave it to my sister.

 

[Luvamouse]

Like some others, not at WDW, but...

1) Last weekend, big store in Maine, I handed the cashier my purchases, paid and left. Back at the hotel, ready to go home and as I listed my prices for the trip noticed I didn't pay for a $11.95 book. My fault? No. Did I feel guilty, a bit, but I am NOT going back to the store to pay for it after spending the better part of $500 there over the weekend. I realize that amount doesn't matter, but it did assuage my guilt slightly.

2) Years ago a teller at our local bank gave me $20 too much. I drive around to the front, back onto the road and circle back through the roads to be able to get to the bank's walk in entrance. Take the baby out in the car seat and spend 15 minutes there trying to give the $20 back. He insisted he hadn't given me too much money, I insisted he had. They finally got a manager who put the money aside and said they would check at the end of the day to see if his money balanced (or whatever). I was right, they called me and thanked me.

3) Again, years ago, I got $10 or $20 extra in change at McDonald's. Went in and gave it to the cashier who called the manager over, he thanked me profusely and gave me at least $5 pr $10 in free meal coupons.

4) All that said, I am going to go to the CS desk at my grocery store if they overcharge me for an item, particularly one listed on sale that rings up full price. It really irks me to think how many unsuspecting people never realize they overpaid for a sale item and the money the store makes on that.

On the same note:

Originally Posted by KimberlyC
But in the same vain, I was overcharged $3 at Meijer not too long ago because the cashier did not ring up my instant coupons and I didn't go all the way back to collect my $3. Normally I wouldn't have noticed because I don't pay close attention (unless I'm at a clothing store and there is a sale and I want to make sure that the item rings up on sale) but I noticed because the cashier put my instant coupons in the bag. Had she used them, she would have/should have kept them.

(by kaytieeldr) Ah, but you weren't overcharged. Yes, you paid more than you had expected/intended in THAT transaction - but you were given the coupons back, which means you can use them at a future time. Whether you choose to purchase the qualifying products again before the coupons expire is up to you, but you weren't overcharged.

I disagree with you in theory on this one, kaytieeldr. When I shop, I usually do not expect to buy that same product within the time frame of the expiration date. I get very irritated when I make the effort to shop carefully and use coupons and a cashier's mistake costs me money.

Also,

by kaytieeldr Originally Posted by jbdreamer
No, at 1am I would not walk back down to the food court to pay for a $3.00 sandwich. Especially at Disney, they wan't you to have a magical time, not deal with problems that are not your fault. Even if you had gone back I am sure they would have said "don't worry about it."

(by kaytieeldr) I wouldn't walk back to. say, the POR food court that late at night to try to correct the situation (but down several floors in my deluxe hotel, sure), but I would go back the next day and let the MERCHANT determine if they're going to tell me "don't worry about it".

IMHO, unless I am going back to the place I purchased it from anyway, it is over. That is taking it a little to the extreme to expect the consumer to return to every place that makes an error in their purchase. I absolutely agree with correcting an error, even one to my benefit while I am at the store. Online purchases, mail order, the same. But when I am gone from the park, at the park exit at night, home from the store, etc. I am not returning for anything short of a grievous error which I or the cashier should have picked up when the total came out and sounded way off. I am not perfect, but I certainly believe in doing the right thing and teaching my children to do the same--Karma and all that-- but there is a limit for me still.

I find nothing wrong with the choices the people posting here have made given the circumstances. While it seems that some people feel they should have gone farther to make things right, I don't think most people check their slips as particularly as I do (looking for an error since they--sadly--occur so often) and don't even notice these errors until it is not realistic to expect them to return and remedy the situation.

 

[ihearttink]

All of you taxpayers are gonna love this ...

One year, I got two tax refunds. I kept trying to send the second one back, but it kept coming back to me. I finally tore it up and sent it through my shredder. Ever since then, I've had a yearly fear of being audited.

OMG this thread was reminding me about a tax refund I received. I filed our taxes and we were getting money back. Well, the check we were sent was for $500.00 more than my records showed. I called the IRS right away because all I could think of was they were going to find the mistake in a few years and they would want interest on the money .

The IRS told me I hadn't taken a credit (I think this was the first year of a child credit or something) and we were entitled to it. I made him repeat himself like 3 times. That is the only time I have had to talk to the IRS and even though it was great for us, I hope it was the last time.

 

[Luvamouse]

ihearttink--

After reading your post, I remembered that there had been one more thing I wanted to mention. The second year that they had the child tax credit, there was an "adjusted return" note attached to my refund. I panicked!! It said that I had not deducted the correct amount for the child tax credit-- in my hurry to have my taxes in, I only deducted $500, that year it had gone to $600. I called and talked to someone at the IRS to thank them for having such great people checking the returns. I never thought they would send me more money!! For all the bad you here about the IRS sometimes, it was good to know they look for errors. Period. Not just ones to help them get more money.

 

[KimberlyC]

Ah, but you weren't overcharged. Yes, you paid more than you had expected/intended in THAT transaction - but you were given the coupons back, which means you can use them at a future time. Whether you choose to purchase the qualifying products again before the coupons expire is up to you, but you weren't overcharged.

No, they were INSTANT coupons. If I go back tomorrow, I'll get another coupon attached to the same product (I bought 3 waterproof cameras I don't need more of) but you can't use 2 coupons for 1 camera.

 

[ihearttink]

ihearttink--

I never thought they would send me more money!! For all the bad you here about the IRS sometimes, it was good to know they look for errors. Period. Not just ones to help them get more money.

I thought the same thing!